'Mongrel of a government' in place as Uhuru men slide into Cabinet

On March 7 2022, then Deputy President William Ruto accused his boss President Uhuru Kenyatta of running “a mongrel of a government system”.

Dr Ruto at the time claimed that the President had become a refugee in the Opposition due to his handshake with then National Super Alliance (Nasa) leader Raila Odinga.

When he spoke at the Chatham House in the UK in 2022, Ruto associated the Uhuru-Raila handshake with the collapse of flagship projects, claiming that the Jubilee Party’s manifesto had been kept aside and that Uhuru Kenyatta was a “squatter” in the opposition.

“Today in Kenya, we have a mongrel of a government system. You don’t know whether it is the government that is in opposition or the opposition is the one that is in government,” said Ruto during his opening remarks at the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

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READ: Uhuru reaps big in President Ruto's latest appointments

The President hailed Mutahi Kagwe (Agriculture), Lee Kinyanjui (Trade) and William Kabogo (ICT) and said they have what it takes to transform their respective sectors. 

Ruto tasked CS Kagwe to find out the reason a consignment of tea was stuck at Mombasa Port, hence potentially negatively impacting the economy. 

He also instructed him to persuade farmers to undertake the livestock vaccination drive that has elicited criticism in the past months, exuding confidence that he will convince farmers to accept the vaccine just as he did during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He asked Trade CS Kinyanjui to complete the construction of over 200 markets in Kenya, conclude the discussions on the bilateral agreement with the United States and finish the remaining phase of the Special Economic Zones. 

Kabogo was assigned to complete the connectivity plan to establish 100,000 Kilometres of fibre optic in Kenya even as he noted that the State has Sh48 billion in funding for the rollout of the first 53,000 Km before the end of next year. 

“The World Bank and government have provided resources for 145,000 computers. The Communications Authority is providing resources for the first 10,000 computers, World Bank will provide resources for the next 50,000 and the State will sort out the rest,” Ruto maintained.

The former Kiambu governor is also expected to come up with a policy framework for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector to enhance job creation and improve the country’s economy. 

“Teleperformance, the largest business processing outsourcing company, is setting up shop in Kenya. It will be a good place for you to work with them. They have told us that, over the next five years, there should be between 300,000 and 500,000 jobs created under the ecosystem. We need to tie up the loose ends such as laws that don’t recognize BPO as a sector. Between the BPO sector and all the other online workers, we should have at least 1 million working in the digital space,” the President said.

Kinyanjui was tasked with taking advantage of the tripartite agreement between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that came into effect in July last year, aiming to promote trade ties between Eastern and Southern Africa. 

The President added that the upcoming Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, January 21, would discuss the draft Kenya Cloud Policy that seeks to prioritise the adoption of cloud-based technology. 

This was a different Ruto from the man who claimed that the incorporation of Raila into the Jubilee government shattered the government’s programmes.  Yesterday, Ruto said that with the strong mix of leadership skills and extensive experience in political, legislative, and executive capacities, the Cabinet Secretaries were well-equipped to mobilise the machinery of government, drive them to deliver services to the people of Kenya, while steering inclusive development and economic growth that leaves no one behind.

Other than the two CSs from the Azimio coalition in the 2022 general elections, Ruto, last year, incorporated five of ODM’s officials in his Cabinet.

ALSO READ: Petition filed challenging President Ruto's latest State appointments

According to political analysts, the move by the President was the perfect description of the mongrel system of government because even though he was their boss, he had sought their party leaders’ blessings to pick them, the CSs could, therefore, have divided loyalty.

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi said that the President ran a risk of having his manifesto not implemented and that the supporters of the ruling UDA would be aggrieved by his decision.

“When you win an election and half of your Cabinet is people who opposed your election manifestos, while the other half are yet to reconcile with their conscience on why they were selected, how does UDA diehard from across the country feel,” Amisi opined.

According to Gitile Naituli, a management specialist, the mixture of the Opposition and the Cabinet was only a scheme to satisfy the interests of the political elite and not for the interest of Kenyans.

“It is unfortunate because those elected to serve will serve their political masters, their loyalty will not be anchored in the country and the Presidency but their political party leaders. This means that, as long as their masters are happy, Kenyans don’t matter,” Prof Naituli opined.

At the same time, political analyst Barrack Muluka noted:

“The appointees from Mt Kenya region are meant to hoodwink Mt Kenya region to think that if there is any eating in this government, they are part of it.”

Muluka said the political alignments being witnessed in the country was solely to make the regime in power for the time being survive the turbulent season up to 2027 with the possibility that they could carry themselves into another future which will be the second term.

“They are assembling the troops not just to keep the government intact within the troubled environment where the citizens are not happy but also hope that they could constitute themselves into a viable and formidable political partnership,” Muluka said.

Lukungu Francis, another political analyst, said:

“I am just wondering what the President will tell his supporters after five years on the meaning of a party manifesto that his opponent is now managing. I believe the best way to unite the country is to implement your manifesto where every Kenyan benefits. What we see is just a circus.”